In the manufacture of components, and in particular composite components, wherein composite material is placed about a mandrel, maintenance of tolerances may be desired. In particular, in the formation of elongated composite components, it may be desirable to maintain certain flatness tolerances along a length and/or section of the elongated composite component. For example, in the manufacture of elongated fuselage sections, which are subsequently joined together end to end to form an airplane fuselage sections, it may be desirable to maintain certain flatness tolerances in troughs located between longitudinally extending inner structural members, or stringers. These troughs may receive, in some instances, splice elements which serve to bridge the interface between abutting fuselage sections and serve to join such sections to one another. If the desired flatness is not maintained during the formation of the fuselage sections on the mandrel, then rework, shimming, etc. may be required in the joining of adjacent fuselage sections to one another.
For example, certain composite fuselages may be fabricated using a mandrel with troughs running the length of the mandrel. The length of a trough may be filled with an inflatable pneumatic tool, or bladder. The bladder is flexible and not a hard tool surface. Therefore it may depress as a fiber placement machine compressively applies an application loading on the surface of the bladder during lay-up of the composite material on the mandrel. This may result in surface waviness in the finished composite structure. Specifically, the result may include the inner mold line (IML) at the ends of fuselage sections not meeting flatness tolerances at troughs. In such an event, subsequent post-cure works may be required at the ends of the fuselage sections to maintain or accommodate flatness tolerances.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches to formation of fuselage sections and other elongated and/or composite components on a mandrel may become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with teachings and examples set forth in the present disclosure.